In this picture you can see the structure of the scalp (but it does not show the acid layer under the epidermis).

It has water based ingredients (produced by sweat glands) greasy ingredients (produced by sebaceous glands) and a special molecue, called tenzid, is also can be found in this layer. This layer can absorb the water based and also the greasy ingredients. Thus this protective layer becomes a special unit which can be found everywhere on the surface of the body including the surface of body-, and scalp hair. This protective layer serves as a home for many important bacteria.

This layer is very vulnerable. It can be easily destroyed by alkaline chemical substances, and for the regeneration it takes different time for different parts of the body. E.g. it takes a couple of hours on the palm but it needs 48 hours on the scalp. That is why it is not indifferent what kind of shampoo we use! Products in the shops are usually alkaline so they destroy this layer. Products I recommend work in a different way. They do not destroy this layers but do not even touch the protective layer with the bacteria!

The output of the sweat glands opens directly on the surface of the skin. In case of underproduction the scalp becomes dry and in case of its overproduction it will be sweat. We can see sweat drops on the hair.

The output of the sebaceous glands opens at the outer root sheath - shaped like a horn. Its secretion gets into this area first, than it will cover the hair. It is very important that this horn shaped sheath should always be clean and open! When it is blocked it may result many kind of problems.

When the sebaceous glands do not produce enough secretion the scalp and the hair become dry. This kind of hair is difficult to comb because the greaseless ember slats on the hair seize. Its overproduction will result greasy, oily hair.

The protective layer will provide in both cases open gates for different kind of infections and illnesses!

The structure of the hair

The pathological example above shows that the layer of cuticle is also affected directly. As you can see it builds up with slats like a roof. It forms a shield protecting a cortex and cuticle.

This physical protecting function is quite similar to the outer side of the epidermis.

In an everyday sense we mean dry hair when the outer cutilule layer of the hair is greaseless.

Medically speaking we say the hair is dry when the amount of water decreases in the cortex of the hair. It is quite visible and noticable e.g. the hair gets curly.

The inner part of the hair, the cortex

It is like a sponge in structure, and water is absorbed through the hair root.

You can find more about in the article of broken hair. Here and now I would like to emphasize the flow of water by going into details about the cortex.

In the picture you can see that the therse of the hair spreads down to the root! Here it widens, than later narrows down and finally, like the shape of a bell -a V-shaped splitting- covers the cell which is at the top of the vein bog feeding the follicle.

This is the ways of the water. So, the amount of water in the hair depends on the previously mentioned vein bog.

The flow of the water is bipolar:
– water flows from the cortex of the root up to the cortex of the hair,
– and also vica versa, from the 4-5cm long part of cortex of the hair at the side of the rood towards the root.

The later one carries some danger. For example, when dying hair a significant amout of toxic material gets into the cortex of the hair, then it will get into the root -described some sentences ago- and kills the cells growing and spitting there.

Dry hair is more vulnerable and gets broken easier due to the damage the cuticle suffers

In this case the gates are open for every kind of infection. And the water flowing up and down in the cortex will carry it to the root causing the death of it!

This route -like an elevator shaft- is also used by me during my treatments.

If you suffer from dry hair or scalp, do not hesitate, please make an appointment with me: